Baumgartner goes sky-high with Zenith

Baumgartner goes sky-high with Zenith

On October 14, 2012, Felix Baumgartner, a professional skydiver from Austria, made history in a supersonic skydive that set three world records and amazed people the world over. He stepped out of his space capsule at an altitude of 39,045 meters (128,100 ft), wearing the Zenith El Primero Stratos Flyback Striking 10th watch on his wrist.

These spectacular statistics far surpassed all initial expectations and clearly proved the audacity and courage of the Austrian skydiver, resonating powerfully with the values and pioneering spirit of Zenith.

Felix Baumgartner, who jumped from a capsule slung under a helium-filled balloon, is the first man to break the sound barrier in free fall. This experiment proved the resistance of the human body–provided the person is fully trained and equipped. It could prove to be an important discovery for the aerospace industry, since several companies will soon be offering commercial space flights.

After a free fall lasting four minutes and twenty seconds, Felix Baumgartner had set three all-time records: the highest free fall (36,402.60 meters), the highest altitude for a manned balloon flight (39,068.50 meters), and the highest free fall velocity, as he broke the sound barrier (reaching Mach 1.25, or 1,357.6 km/h – 843 mph).